20 Results Found

In this study, the microbial communities of two nests of black garden ants (Lasius niger) in the hollows of stem branches of old apple trees were found to have similar species compositions: each community contained representatives of three species fr...

The black garden ant (Lasius niger) is a widely distributed species across Europe, North America, and North Africa, playing a pivotal role in ecological processes within its diverse habitats. However, the microbiome associated with L. niger remains p...

The geomagnetic field (GMF) can affect a wide range of animal behaviors in various habitats, primarily providing orientation cues for homing or migratory events. Foraging patterns, such as those implemented by Lasius niger, are excellent models to de...

To reduce negative effects of floral visitation by ants, which do not serve as reliable cross-pollinators, some plants have developed a non-floral, stem-based defense mechanism called greasy pole syndrome. In the present study, we examined the effect...

Within ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile (Mayr)) often demonstrated nu...

Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the ab...

The association between the division of labour and worker body size of ants is typical for species that maintain physical castes. Some studies showed that this phenomenon can be also observed in the absence of distinct morphological subcastes among w...

Emerging infectious diseases are often the products of host shifts, where a pathogen jumps from its original host to a novel species. Viruses in particular cross species barriers frequently. Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and deformed wing virus (D...

Ants deposit trail pheromones that guide nestmates to food sources. We tested the hypotheses that ant community members (Western carpenter ants, Camponotus modoc; black garden ants, Lasius niger; European fire ants, Myrmica rubra) (1) sense, and foll...

In order to understand the effects of the morphology and surface texture of flower stems in Smyrnium rotundifolium on the visiting frequency of generalist ants, we conducted experiments with Lasius niger ants running on dry wooden sticks mimicking di...

Ants often form mutualistic interactions with aphids, soliciting honeydew in return for protective services. Under certain circumstances, however, ants will prey upon aphids. In addition, in the presence of ants aphids may increase the quantity or qu...

Food sharing can occur in both social and non-social species, but it is crucial in eusocial species, in which only some group members collect food. This food collection and the intranidal (i.e., inside the nest) food distribution through trophallacti...

The effects of pirimiphos-methyl have previously been assessed on blood-sucking insect species, pollinating insects, and target crop pest species. The sensitivity of non-target zoophagous and saprophage species to this insecticide remains largely uns...

The paper presents the first report and morphological description of aphids feeding on the mycoheterotrophic plant Monotropa hypophegea Wallr. of the family Ericaceae. This is the first known case of aphids feeding on a mycoheterotrophic plant, addit...

Titanium dioxide nanostructures are extensively produced and utilized in various industries. Concerns have been raised about this material’s less researched environmental impact. This study investigates the indirect toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticl...

In Saudi Arabia, the tomato is susceptible to a wide range of insect pests that could destroy this valuable vegetable crop, cause yield losses, and affect fruit quality and quantity. Insecticides are widely applied to protect tomatoes and control pes...

Urban gardens can be crucial for preserving the biodiversity in cities, but their construction often leads to shifts in local ant communities due to drastic habitat changes. Over time, ant communities can recover as species arrive from surrounding ha...

In ant-aphid interactions, various aphid species offer honeydew to the ant partner and increase their density by ant attendance, whilst others never attend ant species, in which case ants tend to treat them as prey. In this regard, ants should have t...

To date, direct interactions between pests and natural enemies are often considered in biocontrol programs. Recently there has been an increase of evidence for the importance of third-party mediated indirect interactions in determining the population...

Spiders are a key predator of insects across ecosystems and possess great potential as pest control agents. Unfortunately, it is difficult to artificially cultivate multiple generations of most spider species. Since gut bacterial flora has been shown...